Gas Safe Register is highlighting summer statistics to encourage consumers and installers to check gas appliances “come rain or shine”.

Nearly 1,300 sites were identified as unsafe by Gas Safe Register’s inspections team last summer due to dangerous gas appliances being found, 18% higher than the number of unsafe sites recorded in the previous winter months.

Despite these findings, a survey of more than 2,000 UK adults found that one in five (19%) would only consider getting their gas appliances checked if they stopped working.

The cities with the most unsafe gas appliances last summer were:

London - 277

Birmingham - 89

Coventry - 45

Cardiff - 41

Newcastle - 38

Manchester - 34

Sheffield - 34

Norwich - 33

Edinburgh - 26

Nottingham - 24

Jonathan Samuel, Chief Executive of Gas Safe Register, said: “Our inspections data shows that it doesn’t matter what time of year it is, your gas appliance could still put your health and home at risk if it’s not been safety checked recently.”